4 Convenient Reasons to Install an Awning at Your Business

Businesses thrive when they look attractive to people who are walking by, are comfortable for customers, and run as efficiently as possible. An awning may look simple, but it is a valuable tool for achieving all of those goals. They have a lot to offer to managers who can capitalize on their advantages. Businesses that have to deal with hot weather will usually get the biggest benefits, but they remain useful in almost every type of environment.

Encouraging Foot Traffic

Most stores depend on foot traffic to get customers. It is especially important for those that benefit from impulse buys, but almost any company can benefit from more foot traffic. They want to get as many people to pass the store as possible, since some of those people will get curious and step inside. Improvements to the building that encourage people to walk by it are vital for growing the customer base.

An awning can help with that, especially on hot days. People tend to prefer routes that will give them a chance to stay in the shade, and an awning will provide an excellent level of shade in front of the building. Combining that tendency with an attractive storefront can be a great way to encourage people to stop by your building and see what you have to offer to your customers.

Offering Comfortable Resting Spots

Some businesses, such as coffee shops, need to offer space for their customers to spend time. Those businesses can often stand out by offering outdoor seating, but that seating needs to come with shade on hot days. On the other hand, natural light is one of the benefits of outdoor seating, so that shade can be a drawback on cooler days.

A retractable awning offers the best of both worlds in that situation. The owner can extend the awning when it is hot, which attracts customers by offering a shady place to rest and cool down. They can retract the awning when it is cool, and rely on natural sunlight and an attractive setting to encourage customers to stop by.

Reducing Energy Bills

Heating and cooling cost a huge amount of money because they require a lot of energy. That is especially true in extreme weather, since it takes a lot more heating or cooling to keep the customers comfortable under those conditions. That can be a problem for businesses with low profit margins. All businesses can benefit from reducing their energy costs, but those are the ones that will usually see the biggest benefits from doing so.

Windows are the gates that allow energy in the form of heat to enter or leave the building, so anything that covers the window or puts it in shade will have an impact on the flow of energy. An awning can reduce solar heat gain from anywhere between 60% and 80% during hot weather, with the precise amount depending on the awning’s position.

Those who are trying to conserve energy will want to opt for a retractable awning in most cases. Shaded windows are most useful when the weather is hot and the air conditioning is on, since they prevent heat from entering the building. Retracting them when the weather is colder will allow the sun to passively heat the building through the windows, which can help to compensate for the weather and reduce heating costs.

Drawing Attention

Shoppers routinely judge books by their covers and businesses by their storefronts. An attractive building is a valuable tool for drawing attention to your store and attracting new customers. The building needs to look like people care about it while also being inviting to people who just want to step inside.

An awning is one of the tools at a manager’s disposal for creating an inviting building. It will have a big visual impact on the storefront, so it can add a splash of color or an interesting pattern to make the building stand out. It can even display a logo, as a twist on the more traditional types of signage. It is important to pick the awning with care to make sure that it looks good, but that is fairly easy, especially with advice from the supplier.